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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28605834">binary boys</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/extremebipanic/pseuds/extremebipanic'>extremebipanic</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Cobra Kai (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:21:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,459</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28605834</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/extremebipanic/pseuds/extremebipanic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>basically a retelling of cobra kai through demetri and eli's eyes, including events before and in between what is shown in the show, and (probably) after what becomes canon in season 3.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Demetri/Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>92</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Demetri</p>
<p>On Demetri’s first day of kindergarten, he walked in the classroom with excitement. Most of the other kids were clinging to their parents and crying, but not Demetri. He was ready to learn new things.</p>
<p>He surveyed the room and discovered that the only other kid in the class who wasn’t making a scene was a blonde boy with a scar on his lip sitting at a blue table in the corner. He looked very lonely, and with a further look, Demetri saw that he was crying quietly. Seeing this boy sad made him sad, too. Demetri walked over and sat next to him.</p>
<p>“What’s wrong?” Demetri asked.</p>
<p>The boy sniffed and wiped his face. “Just sad.” He was a lot more quiet than Demetri was.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry. I’ll try to make you not so sad. My name is Demetri.”</p>
<p>“My name is Eli.” He was still very quiet, but he was smiling a little. Demetri smiled back.</p>
<p>“Do you want to be friends?” Demetri asked.</p>
<p>“Yes, please.” Eli’s reply was one of relief. He stopped crying at last.</p>
<p>They sat contently for a few moments until Demetri’s curiosity got the better of him. “Now that we’re friends, will you tell me what happened to your lip?”</p>
<p>Eli’s smile fell again. “Surgery,” he mumbled, looking down.</p>
<p>“Oh. Well I think it makes you look cool!”</p>
<p>Eli looked Demetri in the eyes for the first time. “You do?” he asked hopefully.</p>
<p>“Yeah!”</p>
<p>Eli’s smile was bigger than before. Demetri decided that he really liked Eli’s smile.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. one</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eli<br/>Eli’s stomach was doing flips on the bus to school. It was the first day of junior year, and he knew it would be hell, just like the first two years. </p>
<p>His mother had told him to have an open mind. It might not be as bad as he thought, she had said. He wanted to believe her, but he saw the way that people looked at him when he had stepped onto the bus. Their stares made him want to crawl in a hole and die, so he took the path most similar to this ideal: a window seat in the back of the bus. </p>
<p>Eli held his backpack in his lap like a shield. It comforted him, in a strange way; it made him feel smaller, which is what he wanted. He wanted to make himself so small that he was invisible. </p>
<p>His palms were sweating and his breathing became more shallow and he couldn’t stop thinking about the way they looked at him. They looked like vultures and he was-</p>
<p>Demetri slumped down next to him on the bus. Immediately, he knew something was wrong. Gently, he put a hand on Eli’s shoulder. </p>
<p>Eli’s gaze snapped over to Demetri’s hand and then over to Demetri. “Hey man, what’s wrong?” Demetri was saying, but Eli couldn’t reply. He didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t sound absolutely pathetic, and he knew he shouldn’t worry about sounding pathetic because it was just Demetri, but he did anyway, so he said nothing. </p>
<p>Demetri lowered his voice. “Hey, don’t panic. Breathe with me. In-” Demetri dramatically inhaled, “-and out.” </p>
<p>Eli did as Demetri did, and maybe it was the breathing or maybe it was just having his best friend next to him, but after a few minutes Eli started to feel a little better. Only marginally, but better still.</p>
<p>And then, when Eli had calmed down enough, he turned away from Demetri out of embarrassment. He hated that Demetri always had to be the one to calm him down. He felt like more of a burden than a friend. He mumbled out a “I’m sorry,” and turned to face the window.</p>
<p>Demetri, knowing the drill, effectively ignored this. “This year is going to suck ass, isn’t it? PSAT and SAT prep? I mean seriously, who the hell decided we needed to do both?” He nudged Eli’s shoulder with his own.  </p>
<p>Eli looked back at Demetri and gave a small smile in return. He was okay. Demetri was normal and chatty as ever, and this was just another year that they would survive together. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, this is bullshit!” Demetri said, not quietly, as he and Eli held their schedules side by side to compare. Only three classes together: P.E., Pre Calculus, and English. Eli was, admittedly, disappointed. In years past, they had over half of their classes together, if not all of them. Unfortunately for both of them, they were only friends with each other, and the other four classes of the day would undoubtedly be miserable. </p>
<p>“At least we have the same lunch hour,” Eli replied, but it felt weak even to him. </p>
<p>“Yeah, thank god. We can get our trays knocked out of our hands together instead of having to suffer the humiliation individually.” Demetri was shaking his head. Eli forced a laugh but it sounded about as humorous as an airbag deflating. </p>
<p>All too soon, the first period bell rang. The two shared a look of pure misery and said goodbye as they walked down the hall in opposite directions. </p>
<p>Eli’s first class was Coding. It wasn’t bad, and given how well he had done at computer camp a couple of summers before, he didn’t really have to pay attention. </p>
<p>Next was history, which was worse because their assigned seats led to him sitting in the front next to Yasmine. Upon their meeting, she shot him a not-so-subtle look of disgust, particularly aimed at his lip. His face heated and he moved his hand self consciously over his mouth. He was uncomfortable aware of her presence in the desk next to him for the rest of class. </p>
<p>Finally, 3rd period P.E. rolled around. Not once in his life had Eli ever been relieved to go to P.E., but today was the exception. He would finally be spending the class with Demetri. </p>
<p>“This is going to be a shitshow,” Demetri said as he put on his gym t-shirt. </p>
<p>“Not gonna argue with that,” Eli replied, eyeing Kyler and his douchebag friends, who were all enjoying being shirtless a little too much. Eli, on the other hand, propped his foot on the bench, spread his gym shirt on his thigh, and tore off his regular shirt and replaced it with a quick, practiced maneuver. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Demetri watch him, but for once, Demetri made no commentary. </p>
<p>They begrudgingly went into the gym, and on the whiteboard stand, “MILE RUN” had been written in giant letters. Demetri groaned. “This is already worse than I imagined,” he said miserably. </p>
<p>“At least it’s just one, I guess.” </p>
<p>The coach herded them onto the track, and the class set off at her command. </p>
<p>“12 laps around this track is a mile, so we need to do each one in less than a minute to have a respectable time.” Eli hummed in agreement, and they jogged at a decent pace. He wasn’t so sure that they were making the time they wanted, but he didn’t want to bring that up with Demetri who was looking absolutely miserable. </p>
<p>After the 7th lap, Demetri slowed down considerably. </p>
<p>“No walking,” Eli said gently. He was jogging backwards so he could face Demetri. </p>
<p>“Can’t- breathe-” he huffed. </p>
<p>“In through the nose, out through the mouth,” Eli encouraged. </p>
<p>Demetri looked like he wanted to slap Eli, but he started jogging again. Eli heard him breathing heavily next to him. They didn’t try to talk for the last 5 laps. </p>
<p>They finished third to last. Eli was pleased by this, as they typically came dead last in terms of physical activity. Even their coach looked mildly surprised. “9 minutes and 47 seconds, boys. Good work,” she said and dismissed them. </p>
<p>“Holy shit!” Demetri said when they were far enough away from the coach. “I can’t believe we did that in under 10 minutes.” Then he smiled kind of sheepishly. “Thanks, by the way. For making me finish it.” </p>
<p>Eli was surprised. He’d literally said two sentences, and it felt like nothing, especially considering how often Demetri talked him through panic attacks. He gave a tiny smile in return. “Of course, dude. It’s what I’m here for. Making sure you don’t embarrass yourself too much.” He shoved Demetri in the arm. </p>
<p>Demetri rolled his eyes, still smiling. “Alright, tough guy.” </p>
<p>When they walked into the cafeteria for lunch after 4th period, their luck of being unnoticed by Kyler finally ran out. He waited until they had gotten their trays of food and approached them. “Well, well, well. Where are you two princesses going?” </p>
<p>Eli’s stomach turned. Demetri, who was so talkative, was notably silent. </p>
<p>“So nice of you to get me my lunch,” Kyler said with a cruel smile. </p>
<p>Demetri held out his tray. “Just take it, man.” </p>
<p>“Oh, come on guys. It’s not nearly as fun when you just give up.” Kyler slammed Demetri’s tray down on the ground and it clattered, which drew attention from Kyler’s audience. </p>
<p>Eli set his tray down and grabbed Demetri by the arm, trying to pull him away from the scene before it could get any worse, but Kyler yanked him back by the hood of his sweatshirt. There was nothing to stop him, so he fell to the floor, letting go of Demetri so he wouldn’t bring him down on top. </p>
<p>Kyler laughed. “This is pathetic guys.” Then, by some miracle of god above, it was over. Kyler took Eli’s tray and walked to the back of the cafeteria. </p>
<p>Eli took Demetri’s extended hand and got up.</p>
<p>“Fucking assholes,” Demetri mumbled. </p>
<p>“I’ve got some food in my locker,” Eli said in reply. They walked wordlessly over, and ate two granola bars each as they slumped against the lockers. Eventually the bell rang and they went to English together, went their separate ways again, and ended the day together with pre calc. </p>
<p>They walked to the bus together. “You want to come over?” Demetri asked. </p>
<p>“Yeah, obviously.” Eli smiled and it was more genuine than it had been all day. </p>
<p>This was their routine for as long as they could remember: suffer through school, go to one of their houses to do homework and play video games, sometimes eat dinner together, and go home. Eli didn’t want it to ever change. </p>
<p>Demetri’s parents weren’t home when they got there, so Demetri grabbed a bag of chips and took it to his room. His mother would usually chastise him for this, but she obviously wasn’t here. </p>
<p>It took all of 45 minutes to finish their homework, and they played Legend of Zelda until Demetri’s dad came home around 6:00. </p>
<p>Eli couldn’t pinpoint why, but Demetri’s dad scared the hell out of him, even after knowing him for more than 10 years. He seemed like an extremely traditional man, and most of the time Eli didn’t feel like he and Demetri were very traditional. </p>
<p>“I think I should probably head home,” Eli said shortly after. </p>
<p>Demetri looked like he wanted to protest but he didn’t. Instead, he said, “You want me to walk with you?” </p>
<p>Eli’s face heated, but only slightly. Demetri had never offered to walk him home before. It felt like something a boyfriend would do, which made Eli inexplicably nervous. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Eli replied, trying not to let on how much he read into Demetri’s offer. Demetri offered his hand, which Eli took, clasping them together and clapping Demetri on the back.</p>
<p>It took Eli until he was on his own front door to realize that he could still feel the way Demetri’s hand had fit into his own.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>the portion of the chapter that is in brackets is direct dialogue and events from the show that i don't take credit for. hope y'all enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Demetri</p><p>By Friday, they had fallen into a routine. They dragged themselves through the school day and spent the afternoons hanging out. They alternated whose house they would go to every afternoon, and Eli’s mother was always thrilled to see Demetri. </p><p>[Friday’s lunch, however, was a bit more out of the ordinary. Way more out of the ordinary, actually. They had three people at their lunch table instead of two. </p><p>When the new kid had asked to sit with them, Demetri poured on the sarcasm. “Oh, sorry, the table’s really blowing up right now. I can put you on the waitlist, but it’s probably next semester at the earliest.” </p><p>The new kid had not read the situation the way Demetri had meant, so he said “okay” and started to walk away. </p><p>“No- I’m kidding! Sit.” Demetri gestured at the empty chair next to Eli. He was honestly happy to have the extra company. Eli was in an even worse mood than usual and was being extra silent. </p><p>“Miguel,” the new kid introduced himself. </p><p>“Demetri,” he replied. “This is Eli. He’s a man of few words.” Demetri returned to poking his food with minor disgust. </p><p>Then Yasmine and her friends- more like followers, Demetri thought- walked in and his stomach twisted. He felt like he was going to throw up in what he thought was supposed to be a good way, but he quickly regained composure when he noticed Miguel staring at them. </p><p>“Dude, don’t torture yourself. Those are the rich girls.” </p><p>Miguel continued staring, which Demetri thought was pointless. “Do you ever talk to them?” </p><p>Demetri resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Oh yeah, all the time. We hang out after school, make out, give each other hand jobs.” He turned his attention to his best friend. <br/>“Now, Eli here is the homecoming king! He gets laid more than anyone, isn’t that right Eli?” </p><p>Eli smiled in a way that was both smug and resigned. Miguel rolled his eyes at this. “Talk to them?” Demetri questioned. “You realize what table you’re sitting at, right? You’ve pretty much signed away all hopes of losing your virginity before college.”</p><p>“Shit, Yasmine is looking at us,” Eli interjected. “Probably just making fun of me.”</p><p>“I don’t think she’s making fun of you. I mean, just because they’re hot doesn’t mean they’re mean.” Demetri shook his head at this. He couldn’t believe this new kid was so full of optimism. </p><p>Yasmine continued to stare, and though they couldn’t hear exactly what she was saying, the shrill giggles that came from her table gave enough away to know it wasn’t good. </p><p>Demetri noticed Eli’s hand hovering over his lip, and for a moment he wanted to hurt Yasmine and anyone else who had ever led to him having that habit. He wished he could do more for Eli, but he knew that something drastic would just make things worse for both of them. </p><p>For the sake of conversation with the new kid, Demetri said, “I don’t care if Yasmine is the meanest girl at school. I’d kill both of you just to get her to spit in my face.” Part of him meant it- the part that wanted to know what it was like to experience being popular, or at the very least what it was like not being actively hated. But most of him knew that he would never give up Eli for pretentious bitches like Yasmine. </p><p>“Well if you don’t make a move, you’re never gonna have a shot with her.” </p><p>“True. But I’ll also never suffer a humiliating rejection. I’m at peace with my depression. The last thing I need to be is suicidal.”</p><p>Suddenly, Miguel stood up, and Demetri and Eli both followed his gaze to Yasmine’s table. </p><p>“What are you doing?” Demetri asked. He was genuinely alarmed. </p><p>“Striking first,” came the reply. Demetri considered this a deeply weird thing to say in response to someone, especially when considering how this new kid was the one about to get struck down, but Demetri chose not to comment on that. Instead, he said, “Shit. Hope we don’t get hit with the shrapnel.”</p><p>Demetri and Eli watched in morbid fascination as Miguel confidently approached the table, only to be cut off by Kyler’s mocking wave. They watched Miguel huff and return to their own table, slumping down in his chair. </p><p>“So how’d it go?” Demetri asked condescendingly. </p><p>Miguel shot Demetri an annoyed look as he accepted the situation. Eli and Demetri shared their own look, one that comes with knowing their places in the bullshit high school hierarchy. One that made fun of their own pain to make it a little more bearable.] </p><p> </p><p>That afternoon as they hunched over a math worksheet in Demetri’s bed, Eli asked, “So what do you think of the new guy? Miguel?”</p><p>Demetri thought for a moment. He didn’t really seem to know what he was doing in the cafeteria at lunch, but his optimism was refreshing. This is what he told Eli. </p><p>Eli smiled. “Yeah. I hope he keeps eating with us. It’s nice to have another person at the table.” </p><p>Even though Demetri had thought the same thing earlier, it still kind of hurt to hear it from Eli. He knew he wasn’t saying it because they were tired of each other. They would always be best friends and no one else would change that, but sometimes he liked the idea of having Eli all to himself. Demetri shook off the thought before he could think about what the hell it might mean.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i didn't realize how angsty i was making the eli chapters until i was editing this lol. anyways, same as last chapter, the parts in brackets are from the show. i hope you guys like it :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a Tuesday after school when the messages started rolling in. Demetri and Eli were at Eli’s house playing minecraft on his desktop when an instagram notification popped up on the corner of his screen: “go die u ugly bitch!!!!” </p>
<p>Eli tried hard to pretend that he hadn’t even read it. Demetri tensed next to him, but didn’t comment on it. At least, on the first one. Within 30 seconds of the first one, five more had appeared. Eli felt nauseous, and a lump was forming in the back of his throat. He felt about 4 seconds away from tears, so he dug his nails into his palm to hold them at bay. </p>
<p>“Let’s do something else,” he said, defeated as he watched the corner of his screen blink with new notifications. </p>
<p>“Those motherfuckers,” Demetri started, getting to his feet. He started pacing, which only made Eli more anxious. He grabbed Demetri’s wrist to stop him. </p>
<p>“Demetri, don’t. It’s fine.” </p>
<p>Demetri sighed and slumped down next to Eli on his bed, still facing the computer. Eli continued to look at the messages, and once Demetri realized this, he walked over to the computer and turned the power off. </p>
<p>“Our progress is gone now,” Eli said, trying to distract himself. </p>
<p>“Shit, you’re right.” Demetri sat back down. “Whatever, we can rebuild it later.” Eli watched him open and close his mouth, evidently deciding that whatever he was going to say wasn’t worth it. “You want to walk to the store and get food?” he asked finally. </p>
<p>Eli was going to say yes but when he opened his mouth to reply, he couldn’t stop the tears. He furiously wiped them off, hoping Demetri wouldn’t notice or wouldn’t address it at all, but no. Demetri was too good. </p>
<p>“Hey, woah, no, it’s okay,” he stammered. For someone who was so good at talking Eli through panic attacks, he wasn’t as skilled with people who were crying. “You’re okay.” Eli felt Demetri’s arm around his shoulder, but it felt like his arm was almost hovering. Like he was ready to move it at a moment’s notice. Eli didn’t care, though. He leaned into it, grateful for Demetri beyond words, and eventually Demetri let his arm settle gently. </p>
<p>Eli cried quietly and Demetri half way held him, not being able to do anything else. This was the scene that Mrs. Moskowitz walked into when she got home that afternoon. </p>
<p>“Boys, I’m home!” she called cheerfully. A moment later, she knocked on Eli’s bedroom door and opened it without waiting for a response. </p>
<p>Eli sat up quickly and wiped his face. Demetri removed his arm like it was burning and tried to act normal, even though they were perfectly normal before. Eli almost wished he hadn’t moved. </p>
<p>“Oh honey, what’s wrong?” his mom asked as she knelt in front of him. </p>
<p>“Just… some messages,” he managed. </p>
<p>His mom was furious and sad and comforting at once. She fussed over him, and though he was still crying gently, he gave Demetri an apologetic look. He smiled weakly in return, looking about as bent out of shape as Eli’s mother had been. </p>
<p>Demetri lingered for a few more minutes, but eventually his own mother texted and asked where he was. Eli wanted him to stay, but he knew he couldn’t, so he let Demetri hug him goodbye. </p>
<p>“If you need anything, just text me,” Demetri said from the front doorway. </p>
<p>“I will. Thanks, man.” Eli wished that all his gratitude could be conveyed by those last two words. </p>
<p>Demetri nodded in response and then he was gone and his mother was hovering worse than before. </p>
<p>“I’m calling the school,” she said firmly. </p>
<p>Panic seized him. “What? No. Don’t. They can’t do anything, they won’t do anything.”</p>
<p>She sighed. “Honey, I can’t sit back and do nothing. I can’t stand to watch you hurt, and if I didn’t try to make this better, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.” </p>
<p>Eli nodded hesitantly. He knew there was no use in trying to stop her, but the thought of her calling the school and what they might do to try to “fix” it filled him with dread. He slumped down into a kitchen chair while his mother dialed the number. </p>
<p>[He sat and cried and said nothing while his mother talked. She brought him a plate of cookies and squeezed his arm reassuringly and he was immensely grateful for her. </p>
<p>And then she said the thing that ruined everything. “You’re going to make an announcement?” </p>
<p>His heart sank like a stone. “Don’t have them make an announcement,” he pleaded. </p>
<p>His mother silenced him with a wave of her hand. “Just please keep his name out of it. I don’t want him to be embarrassed. I’m sure this will nip it in the bud.” </p>
<p>Eli was furious at her. She had only made things much, much worse and had the nerve to think she had fixed it. “Do you realize what you’ve done?” he asked miserably. </p>
<p>“The school needed to know that this kind of behavior should not be tolerated.” She seemed impatient with him, which was absolutely absurd. She had no right to be after she had just ruined his life. </p>
<p>“Don’t you get it? They’re never going to stop making fun of me because I’m a loser.” </p>
<p>“That’s not true,” she said, almost like he had hurt her. </p>
<p>He stood up and snapped. “Wake up, Mom! I’m a freak. I’m never going to have any other friends besides Demetri, I’m never gonna get a girlfriend, I’m never gonna be anything other than a kid with a weird lip!” He couldn’t stop the tears and he resented them and he resented the words he had said because he knew them to be true. </p>
<p>Eli stormed out of the kitchen and into his room, collapsing onto his bed. He didn’t want to cry but there was no stopping it.] Even when he tried to stop, he felt an emptiness that went on forever, a well that had no bottom. He wondered if he would feel the emptiness forever. The thought made him cry harder. </p>
<p>He lost track of time. He fell into a half-asleep daze and when he returned to reality, he had a few messages from Demetri. </p>
<p>Demetri: those people are dickheads. hope you’re okay</p>
<p>Demetri: [7 attachments] </p>
<p>The last one was sent later than the others. </p>
<p>Demetri: okay goodnight eli. if you need anything text me. i’ll kick people’s asses tomorrow. </p>
<p>Eli looked at his clock. It was already 11:00. Then he checked the pictures that Demetri had sent. All seven were poorly made memes of Demetri making fun of Yasmine and the others who had sent him the messages earlier. He smiled. They were stupid but they were enough. Demetri was always enough. He liked all the messages and tried to think of a message that was good enough for Demetri. He didn’t think there were enough words in the english language for that, though. </p>
<p>Eli: goodnight man. thanks for everything</p>
<p>Eli turned off the lights and tried to fall asleep, but he could only stare into the dark for hours. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The next morning, Eli woke up with the feeling that something was wrong, but couldn’t remember exactly what. And then it hit him. The impending announcement. </p>
<p>Demetri talked him down from another panic attack on the bus. </p>
<p>Once Eli was breathing normally and wasn’t as likely to throw up, Demetri teased, “This is becoming a habit.” </p>
<p>Eli knew he didn’t mean to, but it made him feel really guilty. Demetri was right. He was always dealing with Eli’s shit. He shouldn’t have to do that. He deserves better than <br/>that, he thought. </p>
<p>Demetri noticed Eli’s face fall. “Hey, I was joking. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, too.” Eli refused to meet Demetri’s eyes. </p>
<p>Demetri was suddenly serious. He grabbed Eli’s wrist and said, “You have nothing to be sorry for.” He didn’t let go until Eli looked him in the eyes. </p>
<p>Eli suddenly felt slightly nauseous again, but for some reason he didn’t mind. Everything was too much to deal with, so he shook Demetri’s hand off and abruptly changed the subject. “How’s Doctor Who? I missed the last episode.” </p>
<p>A look of hurt flashed across Demetri’s face, but it was so brief that Eli thought it might not have actually happened. Then, he began to ramble and Eli smiled and nodded and was glad for some sense of normalcy. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The morning was hell. In every class, Eli got stares and rude gestures, and even though Demetri did what he could, he still had to face most of his classes alone. </p>
<p>And then lunch came. “I don’t think I can go in there,” Eli told Demetri as they walked towards the cafeteria. </p>
<p>“They might not do it today. Or at all,” Demetri insisted, and although neither of them really believed it, they got their food and sat down anyway. </p>
<p>Not even five minutes later, the school counselor entered the cafeteria with a microphone and got people’s attention. “Here we go,” Eli muttered to Demetri, who smiled sympathetically as she began. </p>
<p>[“Cyberbullying is no laughing matter. Sending a cruel message to someone online can be just as hurtful as saying it to their face. Now I’m not gonna name names, but the other day a mother called me up because her son was crying after some kids online made fun of his facial deformity.” </p>
<p>Eli looked around self consciously, his face burning. This was so much worse than he imagined. People whispered and pointed at him, and he habitually covered his scar with his hand. He wanted to bolt, but something kept him rooted in his chair. Demetri and Miguel looked at him with guilt or sympathy, Eli wasn’t sure quite which. </p>
<p>While the counselor continued, Miguel said, “You know, if you’re sick of getting bullied, my karate dojo is looking for recruits.”</p>
<p>Before Eli could reply, Demetri stepped in, sarcastic as ever. “Yeah, right. You hear that Eli? A little karate training and you’re gonna kick some major ass.”</p>
<p>“I’m serious, Demetri. My sensei is the real deal and I’m sure I could get you both discounts.” </p>
<p>“As enticing as that sounds, I think we’d rather spend our afternoons playing Crucible Control than getting hit in the face.”] </p>
<p>For a moment, Eli wasn’t so sure he agreed with Demetri. Karate didn’t sound so bad, and he sure as hell was sick of being bullied. But when he tried to picture himself doing karate, actually being good at karate, his imagination fell short. He knew Demetri was right and that he would just have to learn to live with his life for a little longer.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>you know the drill at this point, brackets means it was in the show. this was a fun chapter for me and i hope you guys like it too. comment something if u want, they make me smile :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Demetri</p>
<p>“I can’t believe my mom is making me go to this stupid dance,” Demetri huffed. “Thanks for coming. I know you’d rather be doing other things.” </p>
<p>“You know I wouldn’t leave you to suffer through something like this by yourself,” Eli replied. He was smiling and Demetri knew it was true. Whatever he went through, Eli went through too, and vice versa. It was their unspoken agreement and the only thing that kept them both sane. </p>
<p>“I guess we should change,” Demetri said miserably. “You want my room or the bathroom?”</p>
<p>“Um, I’ll take the bathroom.” </p>
<p>Demetri stepped into his room and spread the costume out on his bed. The necromancer’s robe was long, so it didn’t matter what he wore under it. He kept his jeans and t-shirt on, taking off his flannel before pulling the robe over his head. </p>
<p>He opened the closet door to look at himself in the mirror. He sighed, knowing that no one would appreciate his costume. No one but Eli.  </p>
<p>Demetri jumped when he heard a soft knock on his door. “Come in,” he called.</p>
<p>Eli walked in sporting his scrubs. Demetri gave him a small smile. Demetri thought that Eli would make a good doctor. He was definitely smart enough and he cared, which was probably more important. You could work hard to make yourself smart, but you couldn’t study how to be a good person. </p>
<p>Then Demetri noticed the surgical mask in Eli’s hand and he understood all too well why Eli had selected this costume. On the one night of the year he could be anything he wanted to be, Eli had chosen to become invisible. </p>
<p>Demetri’s heart sank. He wanted to fight those bastards who had sent Eli the messages and everyone before that who had ever made Eli feel like shit. He wished he could fight but had no way of doing so. </p>
<p>Eli cleared his throat and Demetri suddenly realized that he had been staring. “Oh, um, I should probably paint the symbols on now,” stammered Demetri. </p>
<p>“I could help you,” Eli said quietly. He walked over to Demetri’s desk and grabbed the face paint and brush. He waited for Demetri to nod in approval before he opened the paint and set to work. </p>
<p>Demetri didn’t have to tell Eli how to paint them. The symbols were just as familiar to Eli as they were to him. Eli gently placed his hand on one side of Demetri’s face as he painted the other side. Demetri noticed the way Eli’s lips were slightly parted in concentration, how Eli’s left hand was shaking just slightly against his cheek. Demetri noticed how blue Eli’s eyes looked in the sunlight coming in through his window and how long his eyelashes were. Then he wondered if these were things that a best friend was supposed to notice. He thought he knew the answer to that question, and it made his face heat with embarrassment. He hoped it wouldn’t be noticeable, but of course it would be. Eli was staring directly at his face. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything. </p>
<p>When Eli moved his hand to the other side of Demetri’s face, his left hand slid from Demetri’s face to his neck. Demetri was sure this was an absentminded movement, but that didn’t stop him from being very, very aware of it. </p>
<p>He closed his eyes. Eli this close, Eli’s hand on his neck, Eli being so gentle with him. Demetri felt like he was on fire. He felt like he was too close to the sun and he had to look away. </p>
<p>“Done,” Eli said in a voice that was hardly louder than a whisper as he stepped back. </p>
<p>Demetri opened his eyes and spun around to look in the mirror quickly, trying to avoid eye contact with Eli, as if making eye contact would allow Eli to read his mind. <br/>The symbols were perfect. “So much better than I could have done, dude. Thanks.” </p>
<p>Eli coughed. “Yeah, of course.” </p>
<p>Demetri turned around to face Eli and there was a beat of silence. He didn’t know exactly what to say, but he didn’t have to think long because his mom knocked on the door. “Are you boys ready? It’s about time to go.” </p>
<p>“Yeah, we’ll be right there,” he replied. He and Eli wordlessly slipped their phones and wallets into their pockets and walked out to the car where Demetri’s mother was waiting. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>[Demetri and Eli were standing awkwardly to the side of the gym when Miguel arrived. </p>
<p>“Oh, skeleton. Classic. Nice,” Demetri nodded his approval. </p>
<p>“Thanks. I like your sorcerer costume,” he replied. </p>
<p>Demetri had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. “Sorcerer?” He scoffed. “Please. I’m a necromancer,” he said, gesturing to the symbols on his face. </p>
<p>“What?” </p>
<p>“Didn’t you see the amulet?” </p>
<p>Miguel chose to ignore this and turned to Eli. “So, are you a regular doctor, or-”</p>
<p>“Plastic surgeon,” Eli said quickly. “I fix lips.” </p>
<p>Demetri winced. He hadn’t known this particular detail about Eli’s costume. It was bad enough when he thought Eli just wanted to blend in, but knowing that his costume was dedicated entirely to fixing something he hated about himself broke Demetri’s heart more than it probably should have. He wanted to tell Eli that nothing about him needed to be fixed. He said nothing. </p>
<p>Miguel, oblivious to all of this, simply replied “Nice,” and the night went on. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The three made a few laps around the gym but kept returning to the snack table. After the fourth stop at the table to refill their punch cups, they spotted a trio of girls, all wearing Daenerys Targarean costumes. Demetri knew that one of them had to be his soulmate, and his friends seemed to agree. </p>
<p>Miguel was, of course, the first to voice this. “Okay, are we ready? Let’s ask the dragon queens to dance.” </p>
<p>Demetri, already rethinking the soulmate idea given how nauseous the thought of actually approaching one of the girls made him, tried to deter Miguel. “Slow your roll,” he said, hiding his anxiety well. “We got time.”</p>
<p>As soon as these words left his mouth, they watched someone else approach the girl in the middle and take her to dance. </p>
<p>“No… shit! We just lost one to Doctor Who,” Miguel observed disappointedly. </p>
<p>“I have to go to the bathroom,” Eli said suddenly, and Demetri was grateful for the excuse to abandon the task at hand. </p>
<p>“Me too,” he agreed quickly. It didn’t sound quite convincing enough to his own ears, so he added, “That punch is going right through me.” Eli turned and walked for the exit, followed by Demetri and, begrudgingly, Miguel. </p>
<p>“First high school dance in the books and we didn’t even make an attempt,” Miguel noted. </p>
<p>“Well, statistically speaking, zero for zero is better than zero for one, so it could have been worse,” Demetri replied in what he thought was a helpful way. </p>
<p>They went to wash their hands when they heard Kyler and his friends barged in. Demetri couldn’t hear everything, but the words “slut” and “Sam” were clear to him. Of course these douchebags were talking shit about Sam LaRusso, the only person to be both nice and popular in their year. Miguel followed the voices, and so did Demetri and Eli. They stood behind the lockers just around the corner from Kyler and his group of fuckwads. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, dude. You had her in the palm of your dick,” one of them was saying. </p>
<p>It was that exact moment when Eli bumped into some lacrosse sticks and sent them clattering to the ground. “No,” he murmured, but it was too late. </p>
<p>Kyler and his friends rounded the corner and spotted them. “Oh shit,” Demetri said and ran out of the bathroom right behind Eli and back into the gym.] Only once they had slumped against the wall did they realize that Miguel hadn’t followed them. </p>
<p>“Should we go back?” Eli asked after a moment of catching their breath. </p>
<p>“No,” Demetri replied immediately. “It wouldn’t do any good.” </p>
<p>“They’re probably hurting him,” Eli said in a voice so quiet that it was a miracle Demetri could hear him over the music. </p>
<p>Demetri realized this and felt guilty. But he wanted to protect Eli and he wanted to protect himself, and he knew that neither of them were any good in a fight, so he just said, <br/>“We would just be getting ourselves hurt, too.” </p>
<p>The rest of the night was weighed down by what they had done, or, more accurately, what they hadn’t done. Demetri wanted to go back to the bathroom to check on Miguel, but at that moment, his phone buzzed with a text from his mother, telling him that she was there. Demetri showed Eli the screen and they walked out of the school and to the car in silence. </p>
<p>“How was it?” Demetri’s mother asked enthusiastically as soon as they got in. </p>
<p>They mumbled “good” and “fine” and she turned around, frowning. “Was it really that bad?” she asked. </p>
<p>Demetri only shrugged and she sighed. “Alright, fine. You win, you never have to go to a dance again.” </p>
<p>The best Demetri could offer her was a weak smile. She turned up the radio and didn’t say anything more. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Once they arrived home, Demetri got the air mattress out for Eli and plugged it in. They sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for it to inflate. </p>
<p>“Are we cowards?” Eli asked him. </p>
<p>Demetri thought on this. “Yes.” Eli’s face fell and Demetri instantly wished he could take it back. Instead, he said, “There’s nothing wrong with that, though. Cowards are smart because we know not to willingly put ourselves in dangerous situations.” </p>
<p>Eli didn’t say anything for a moment. He hesitated before saying, “I wish we had gone back for Miguel.” He stood up and mumbled something about brushing his teeth before disappearing off to the bathroom. </p>
<p>Eli was right. They should have gone back for Miguel and it was his fault, but for some reason he didn’t like the way Eli had said that. Demetri felt the same twist that he had felt when Eli had said he was glad to have someone else to sit with at lunch. He agreed, but it still upset him. It felt like Eli was slipping away from him. He wasn’t used to having to share Eli and he wasn’t particularly happy about having to do it now. </p>
<p>Eli returned from the bathroom and Demetri went to do the same. He scrubbed away the paint and tried to forget the gentle way Eli had applied it only hours before. His face was red and felt raw by the time he finally checked to see if all the paint was gone. It was, and he almost regretted that it was. It was the only artifact of that moment in his room, and now he had nothing concrete to convince himself that it had actually happened. </p>
<p>He brushed his teeth and by the time he came back to his room, Eli was on his side with his eyes closed. Demetri didn’t think he was asleep, but he didn’t press him. </p>
<p>He curled up into bed, but before he shut his eyes, he messaged Miguel. </p>
<p>Demetri: hey i’m really sorry we just left you there. eli and i feel really bad about it. we hope you’re okay man</p>
<p>He clicked off his phone and was swallowed into the darkness of the room. “Goodnight, Eli,” he whispered.</p>
<p>“Goodnight,” he whispered back. </p>
<p>The last thing Demetri thought before he fell asleep was that there was plenty of room in his bed for Eli to not have to use the air mattress when he slept over.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>same deal, brackets = in the show. i hope yall like it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eli</p>
<p>Miguel had assured him over text that he was fine, and Eli was relieved to see that this was true with his own eyes at lunch on Monday. Miguel didn’t want to talk about it then, but he couldn’t avoid Eli and Demetri’s questions by the time study hall rolled around at the end of the day. </p>
<p>Miguel told them a downplayed version of what happened. Even downplayed, the two boys listening winced. Eli was embarrassed that he hadn’t stuck around to help or even see if Miguel was okay, for fuck’s sake. He felt like the worst friend in existence. </p>
<p>[“So that’s it?” Demetri asked Miguel. “No more karate?” </p>
<p>“I guess so,” Miguel replied in a way so miserable that Eli felt even worse. Maybe if he had helped Miguel it wouldn’t have been as bad and his mom wouldn’t stop him from doing karate. If only he had helped. </p>
<p>“It’s probably for the best. It was starting to boost your confidence,” Demetri said with a shrug. </p>
<p>“Isn’t that a good thing?”</p>
<p>“No,” Demetri replied as though this were obvious. “What has confidence ever gotten anybody but a black eye and their backpack thrown in the trash.” </p>
<p>Eli loved Demetri, but he was often too pessimistic and he was definitely not helping Miguel feel better. “Well I thought it was kind of cool how you stood up to Kyler,” he chimed in. </p>
<p>“Are you insane?” Demetri’s loud response made Eli jump slightly. “Let me ask you,” he continued. “What is the best superpower anyone could have?”</p>
<p><em> Super strength </em>, Eli thought. It was as though Miguel had read his mind. He voiced this exact answer to Demetri. </p>
<p>“Wrong,” Demetri snapped. “Invisibility. A distant second would be super speed. To run away fast.”</p>
<p>Eli was already back to his homework when he felt an unwelcome hand on his shoulder. “To run away from who?” Kyler asked.</p>
<p>“Whom,” Brucks corrected. Then he said something else about English class that Kyler was quick to dismiss. Because Kyler was a fucking dumbass, Eli thought as he was stuffing his papers in his bag. Eli hoped they could sneak away before Kyler learned what a preposition was. </p>
<p>“We were just leaving,” Miguel said. Eli was walking away when Kyler grabbed him by his neck and pulled him back, asking where he was going. Then Kyler’s hand was on Eli’s face and he couldn’t breathe. </p>
<p>“Look at this freak. Oh, shit!” Kyler taunted while Brucks laughed a brutish laugh. “What kind of girl would ever kiss this shit?” Kyler said and Eli winced and he thought about what he had told his mom about never getting a girlfriend and he hated Kyler because he was right. </p>
<p>And then Miguel proved that he was a better person than Eli hoped he could be. “Leave him alone, Kyler,” he said and Eli was reminded that he hadn’t done the same for Miguel. </p>
<p>Kyler shoved Eli away and he was relieved until Brucks shoved Miguel and there was nothing he could do except to stand, paralyzed and rooted in place. </p>
<p>“Get the hell outta here, man,” Kyler said as he shoved Miguel harder. Miguel and Demetri began to walk away and Eli wove his way through the bookshelves, but not without one final shove.] </p>
<p>He lost Miguel and Demetri and made his way to the bathroom, which was abandoned after the last bell had rung. He locked himself in the last stall and tried to breathe like Demetri would tell him to. Tears fell quietly down his cheeks and he didn’t try to wipe them away because there was no one here to pretend for. </p>
<p>He was so tired. So fucking tired. </p>
<p>He heard the door open and immediately tensed. </p>
<p>“Eli?” A voice called. Demetri. He relaxed but didn’t reply. He didn’t trust himself to talk yet. </p>
<p>“I can see your backpack under the door, Eli. Are you okay?” Demetri’s voice was far more gentle than usual. Wordlessly, Eli unlocked the stall door and opened it. </p>
<p>Demetri dropped his bag on the floor and walked in. “Why is your bag covered in yogurt?” Eli asked in a small voice. </p>
<p>“Oh, you know. Kyler,” Demetri said with a shrug. </p>
<p>Eli realized he had done it again. He had left Demetri, the only person in the world who truly knew who he was and still cared, alone with Kyler. He could have gotten hurt like Miguel. Eli cried more. He couldn’t help it. </p>
<p>“Hey, woah, it’s okay,” Demetri said. After a moment’s hesitation, he gently brushed away the tears with his thumbs. He left his hands there and they were frigid cold but Eli didn’t mind. </p>
<p>He realized, not for the first time, that Demetri was taller than him. The realization made him feel small, but not in a bad way. Not the way Kyler made him feel small. He felt protected and precious and safe with Demetri. </p>
<p>“What if they had hurt you?” Eli choked out. “Like Miguel?” </p>
<p>“In the middle of the library? Even they aren’t stupid enough for that.” </p>
<p>Eli laughed weakly but he still couldn’t shake all of his bad feelings. “But what if they had? And I had just run?” </p>
<p>Demetri moved his hands and placed them firmly on Eli’s shoulders. Eli looked him in the eyes and met Demetri’s suddenly intense stare. “I don’t blame you. I hate to say it, but I probably would have done the same.” Eli’s expression didn’t change, so Demetri said, “I promise. I don’t blame you because you and I are the same.” </p>
<p>Eli didn’t know what to say so he forced a smile and said, “Let’s go home.” </p>
<p>The two got paper towels and cleaned as much of the yogurt off of Demetri’s backpack as they could before they walked out, just in time for the late bus. </p>
<p>At Eli’s house, they took out Demetri’s folders and books and Eli’s mom offered to put his bag in the washer. She didn’t press for details as to why her son’s best friend’s backpack was covered in yogurt, which Eli was immensely grateful for. </p>
<p>They played Mario Kart (they both won several times and the question of who was actually better remained unanswered) and every once in a while Eli glanced over at Demetri, who was smiling and laughing and talking about god knows what and Eli was happy to know this part of him. </p>
<p>
  <em> You and I are the same. </em>
</p>
<p>Eli thought that Demetri was too good for this to be true. </p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. six</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry this update took so long! same deal as always, brackets = in the show.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Demetri</p>
<p>
  <span>[Of course they had to walk into the cafeteria when Kyler was being an asshole. Because when was Kyler not being an asshole? He, Eli, and Miguel arrived when Kyler was announcing to the entire room that Sam had… been involved in </span>
  <em>
    <span>promiscuous</span>
  </em>
  <span> activities. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>People gasped and laughed and Demetri felt a pang of sympathy for her. He knew what that was like. It was the shittiest feeling ever, hands down. Still, he and Eli stood back and watched while Miguel, perpetually picking fights he couldn’t win, approached Kyler. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Kyler!” Miguel called. Demetri and Eli watched in horror. Defending Eli in the library was one thing, but this - in front of the entire cafeteria where Kyler was actually likely to fight back - was something entirely different.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why don’t you shut the hell up and stop being such an asshole?” Miguel continued. Demetri was still silently praying that Miguel was going to walk away, but he had to admit that he was impressed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Demetri and Eli did nothing but look on as Kyler shoved him and said, “Want another beat down, Rhea?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Demetri watched as Aisha stood. He thought that maybe she was doing the smart thing and getting out of the way before things got too messy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m ready for your lame ass karate this time,” Kyler said with another shove. Demetri winced. This was not going to be pretty. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Miguel regained his balance and said, “It’s not lame ass karate.” Demetri thought that correcting Kyler was probably not the best move, but then Miguel blocked Kyler’s swing and pinned his arm. “It’s Cobra Kai,” Miguel finished and punched Kyler in the nose and Demetri was fucking floored. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And so the fight began. Demetri watched in a mix of horror and awe as Kyler and Miguel fought what seemed to be a fairly evenly matched fight. The second that Miguel had any sort of upper hand, Aisha yelled, “No Mercy!” and Demetri couldn’t help but laugh. He glanced at Eli in delighted surprise as they watched their own friend take on two, three, then four people. And he was winning. And then four were on the ground and they weren’t getting up and Miguel knelt on a table, victorious. He stood and people cheered and clapped, Demetri and Eli cheering loudest of all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think we should reconsider the karate thing,” Eli said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For once, Demetri didn’t point out any flaws with this plan. He simply nodded and cheered for Miguel again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After school, Demetri and Eli joined the ever growing crowd outside of the Cobra Kai dojo. Demetri felt for the first time that maybe this wasn’t a waste of time. Miguel was one of them, and if he could learn to beat the shit out of Kyler, maybe Demetri wasn’t a lost cause. Briefly, Demetri allowed himself to imagine a life he never had before, one where Yasmine talked to him in a non-bitchy way, where he and Eli had more friends, where they didn’t have to count on getting rich to have girlfriends. The thought of having a normal life relieved him, but he quickly realized that relief was all it was, and behind it was a sort of emptiness. Like he didn’t truly want these things, he only knew he was supposed to and felt their absence because of it. He thought that there was something missing, but didn’t have time to think of what the missing piece could be before Miguel and the sensei approached and unlocked the door to the dojo. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Inside was a whole different feeling. Suddenly, Demetri felt small and panicky as he looked at the snake painted on the wall and at the mats and he realized abruptly that he was signing up to get his ass kicked. Once they settled into a spot in the middle of the dojo, Demetri voiced his newfound concern to Eli. “Why’d I let you talk me into this?” he asked miserably, even though there wasn’t much to it other than their silent agreement and Demetri’s willingness to follow Eli to the ends of the earth. “This goes against everything I stand for. It’s like extra gym class for no reason.” Demetri kept his voice even to disguise the anxiety that was building. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s just give it a chance,” Eli said. “You saw the fight. Miguel kicked ass.” Even though Demetri had thought the same thing, he couldn’t help the pang of jealousy when he heard how proud Eli was of Miguel. He wished he could give Eli a reason to talk about him like that, but he had the sinking feeling that karate wasn’t how he would get there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before Demetri could reply, he and Eli jumped upon hearing someone yell, “QUIET.” All the eyes fell on the man in the front of the room. “Face front,” he said and everyone did their best to obey. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man began to walk through the crowd and Demetri watched, feeling Eli tense next to him. When their new instructor approached him, Demetri held his breath, not quite sure what to expect. When he said, “Nice shirt,” Demetri felt immensely relieved, this single compliment demonstrating that this man, however intimidating, was at least somewhat reasonable. All of this was gone in the blink of an eye, though, because as soon as Demetri had thanked him, the man had said, “I was joking, it sucks,” and Demetri deflated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man walked around the room doling out insults to his new students, and Demtri was fidgety. He was suddenly sure that coming here was a huge mistake and he wanted to grab Eli and run as far away as possible, but he knew he couldn’t get away with that now, so he settled for picking at his fingernails as a distraction. Eli noticed and gently placed his hand over Demetri’s in an effort to make him stop, and Demetri wondered why it made his heart jump to his throat. Eli’s hand lingered a moment longer than it needed to, but Demetri still missed the contact when it was gone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man, their sensei as Demetri was slowly coming to accept, was at the front giving a speech about how pathetic everyone looked. Demetri didn’t fully disagree, but it still felt off coming from a grown man. When he told them to fall in, or line up, he and Eli dutifully got in line somewhere in the middle. Their sensei, seemingly unable to articulate anything, immediately huffed about how they were doing it wrong, how he had meant lines instead of one line. “Do you mean, like, rows?” Demetri had asked, and the sensei buried his head in his hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Demetri accepted that it would be an incredibly long afternoon.] </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Demetri and Eli practically collapsed into the back of Demetri’s mom’s car after practice. They were both incredibly out of shape, and it was kind of sad, Demetri thought. Not sad enough to make him want to exercise on a regular basis, though. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you have anything you need to pick up from the house, Eli?” Demetri’s mom asked, looking at him in the rearview mirror. Eli’s parents had gone out of town for the week, and of course Demetri’s mother had offered to take him in. They had spent weeks at a time at the other’s houses in the past, so it wasn’t even new. It was just the first time that it had happened during the school year. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, ma’am,” Eli said politely. Even after all these years, he still called Demetri’s parents “ma’am” and “sir.” It was weird, but also endearing. It was a very Eli thing to do. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the house, the boys dumped their bags on Demetri’s floor. “Rock paper scissors for the shower?” Demetri suggested. Eli nodded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“One, two, three, shoot,” they said in unison. Eli threw paper and Demetri threw rock. Eli covered his fist with his hand and Demetri tried to cover the sudden jolt of electricity he felt by muttering “Damn it.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s your house,” Eli said. “You can go first if you want.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, no, you won. Go ahead.” Eli nodded and took his backpack to the bathroom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Demetri kicked off his shoes and flopped back onto his made bed. He scrolled through reddit and after only a few minutes, Eli returned to his room. Demetri tried very hard not to notice the way Eli’s wet hair fell into his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Demetri got up and wordlessly went to shower. Afterwards, he realized he felt sort of self conscious about putting on his Star Wars pajama pants at 6:00 pm, but Eli wouldn’t care. Eli wouldn’t judge him for anything. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude, we should marathon the Harry Potter movies while you’re here,” Demetri said as he reentered his bedroom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hell yeah,” Eli said with a smile. He was lying on Demetri’s bed, and something about it, maybe the way he looked so at home there or maybe the way his sweatpants hung low on his hips, made Demetri’s face heat up. He turned away from Eli and towards his TV, digging through the DVDs to find The Sorcerer’s Stone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without needing to be told to, Eli went to the kitchen and made popcorn. He dug around the cabinets to find some M&amp;Ms and mixed them into the giant bowl of popcorn. He grabbed two sprites from the fridge. Demetri knew that Eli felt just as comfortable here as his own house, and it made him happy to see him fully relaxed somewhere besides his own bedroom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Demetri was sitting on his bed criss crossed and facing the TV when Eli returned. He grinned up at him. “Thanks, man.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eli placed the bowl of popcorn between them and scooted over. They were only touching by their knees, but Demetri noticed. It was unnecessarily distracting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They watched the movie, making most of the same commentary they always had about how Snape was such a creep and how annoying Quirrell was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The movie finished and they frantically did their homework upon realizing that they hadn’t touched any of it and it was almost 9. By 10:30 they were done and Demetri was helping Eli set up the air mattress. They said their goodnights and Demetri laid back in his own bed and wished Eli was up here with him, lying down as he had been earlier. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As his eyes closed, the realization hit him like a train. He was into Eli. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I am so fucked</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
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